Amusement apparatus.



- A. BRAGG.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1909.

946,200. Patented Jan. 11, 1910.

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A. BRAGG.

' AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1909.

Patented Jan. 11, 1910;

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ARTHUR BRAGG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 11, 1910.

Application filed April 12, 1909. Serial No. 489,256.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR BRAGG, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to amusement apparatus of the class employed at summer resorts, amusement parks and other and similar places; and the object thereof is to provide an improved apparatus of this class which is simple in construction and operation, and which. is designed to amuse and entertain both old and young.

My invention involves an inclined track or way and cars or carriages-movable thereon by gravity in a manner similar to other apparatus of the same class, and the invention consists in the details of the construction of the track or way and the cars or carriages hereinafter described and claimed, and by means of which novel, exciting and amusing results are produced.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which;

Figure l is a sectional side view of a part of the track or way and showing a car or carriage mounted thereon, Fig. 2 a sec tional plan view of that part of the apparatus shown in Fig. l and on a smaller scale, Fig. 3 a longitudinal sectional view of a part of an up-take employed in connection with the inclined track or way, and showing a car or carriage mounted thereon, Fig.

at a transverse sectional view of a part of the track or way and showing a car or carriage mounted thereon and in section, Fig. 5 a view similar to Fig. 4: but showing other parts of the construction, Fig. 6 a sectional side view of the construction shown in Fig. 5, Fig. 7 a sectional plan view similar to that shown in Fig. 2 but on a smaller scale and showing a modification of the track or way and showing features of the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and ;Fig. 8 a diagrammatic side view of the inclined track or way and indicating the up-take by which the cars or carriages are conveyed from the bottom of the track or way to the top thereof.

My invention involves the use of an inclined track or way, and in Fig. 8 of the accompanying drawings I have indicated diagrammatically a side View thereof, the inclined track being indicated at a and the up-take by which the cars or carriages are conveyed from the bottom of the track or way to the top thereof being indicated in dotted lines at a The inclined track or way, in the construction shown, is not continuous in one direction, but consists of a plurality of reversed inclines a and said track or way may be substantially spiral in form, or it may consist of a plurality of reversed inclines the end portions a of which are connected by circular or segmental loops.

In Fig. l of the accompanying drawings the bottom a of the inclined track or way is shown substantially horizontal, and it will be understood that, in practice, short parts or reaches of said track or way may be hori- Zontal if desired, the general inclination being sufficient to propel the cars or carriages over short spaces or reaches in the said track or way. The track or way consists of a bottom a and side boards or guards a, and I also provide cars or carriages 1) adapted to travel on said track or way and which, in the form of construction shown, consists of a bed plate or frame 5 mounted on rollers, casters or similar devices 6 which are adapted to rotate in the manner of ordinary casters, and which may be constructed in any desired manner.

The cars or carriages b are provided with seats, chairs or similar devices I), and these seats, chairs or similar devices are preferably provided with straps b or other means for holding the occupants of said seats or chairs therein. The bed plate or frame Z2 of the cars or carriages b are also provided around the edges thereof with wheels or rollers 5 adapted to bear on the inner sides of the side boards or guards a of the trackor way, and said side boards versely of the track or way or diagonally thereof, and in this operation the said cars or carriages come in contact with the side boards or guards at at one side of the track or way and are deflected across the track or way, and this operation is repeated during the entire passage of the cars or carriages downwardly over the track or way. In the form of construction shown, the cars or carriages are oblong in shape and the corners thereof are cut away, but the plan of the said cars or carriages may be of any preferred form, and the said cars or carriages may be round if desired. The track or way is provided at intervals with inclosed spaces forming closed chambers c, said chainbers being formed by a top 0 and end doors 0 The doors 0 are hinged to the inner sides of the side boards or guards a of the track or way as shown at 0* and are operated by the cars or carriages as they pass downwardly over the track or way, the doors at the upper end of the chambers a being forced inwardly while the doors at the lower end thereof are moved outwardly, and said doors are provided'with springs a which are secured thereto and to the track or way and which normally hold them in a closed position.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the buffer plates or strips (4 which are secured to the side boards or guards a of the track or way are cut out at the points 0* where the doors 0 are hinged thereto, and said buffer plates or strips are provided above said hinge points with inwardly directed members a against which the wheels or rollers b of the cars or carriages strike in the downward movement of said cars or carriages over the track or way, and which prevent the cars or carriages or the wheels or rollers b from striking the edges of said doors that are hinged to the side boards or guards a. The closed chambers 0 are also provided with electric lights (Z which, in the form of construction shown, are suspended from the top thereof and provided with circuit wires (Z which are in electrical connection with a circuit making and breaking device (Z operated by a transverse spring supported strip or plate (i placed on the bottom a of the track or way, and as the cars or carriages pass through the chambers c the wheels or rollers b by which said cars or carriages are supported depress the strip or plate (Z* and complete the circuit through the wires (Z to momentarily energize the light or lights (Z. Any desired number of these lights may be employed, and the wires (Z may be placed in connection with any suitable source of electrical supply.

The up-take a of the inclined track or way a, or a part thereof, is shown in detail. in Fig. 3, and this up-take comprises a bottom 6 and side boards or guards c and the cars or carriages b are provided at one end thereof with attaching devices 6'' with which, in practice, may be connected a cable or similar device by means of which said cars or carriages are taken up over the up-take (5 this operation being the same as with other apparatus of this class. The up-take a is also preferably provided centrally thereof with a rack c and the cars or carriages with a pawl e which operates in connection with said rack and which will prevent the backward movement of the cars or carriages on the up-take if, at any time, the cable f or its connections should be broken or thrown out of use. The bottom a of the inclined track or way a may be smooth or even throughout all the portions thereof, or may be transversely corrugated as shown at a in Figs. 1 and 2, or part or all of said track or way may be undulated as indicated in Fig. 8. I have also shown at g a figure which represents a man and which is formed in connection with or attached to a transverse support hinged to the bottom a of the track or way as shown at g and provided with a spring attachment 9 secured thereto and to the track or way or to one of the side boards or guards 0 thereof and which normally holds the figure g in an upright position, and as the cars or carriages pass downwardly over the track or way they come in contact with this figure and depress it into the position shown at g in Fig. 6 and as the car or carriages pass over said figure it is automatically raised into the position shown in Fig. 5. Any desired number of these figures may be employed, and they may be placed in any desired position on the track or way. These figures may be formed to exactly represent a man in the act of walking across the track or way and when struck by the cars or carriages in the manner described a thrilling and exciting result is produced.

instead of a part or all of the track or way being undulated in a vertical plane as indicated in Fig. 8, the said track or way may be laterally undulated or curved as shown in Fig. 7, or the said track or way may involve both of these features of construction if desired. The bottom a of the inclined track or way is preferably provided with a hole or recess (4 at the point where the figure or figures g are connected therewith, and this hole or recess is preferably of the same form or outline as said figure or figures and the part and is adapted to receive said figure or figures when depressed or knocked over by the car, and this hole or recess is closed by a plate a secured to the bottom a of the track or way; my invention is not limited to this particular construction, and various changes in and modifications of this and other details of the construction herein shown and described may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined track or way and a car or carriage movable by gravity thereon, said track or way being provided with side boards or guards, and the car or carriage being of less transverse dimensions than said track or way, said car or carriage being also mounted on wheels or rollers, and said track or way being provided at intervals with trans versely arranged doors having tensional devices by which they are held in a closed position, and said doors being adapted to be opened by the car or carriage as it passes downwardly over the track or way.

2. In an amusementapparatus, an inclined track or way having side boards or guards, and a car or carriage adapted to move downwardly by gravity over said track or way, said car or carriage being of less transverse dimensions than said track or way, and said track or way being provided with a closed chamber or chambers formed by a top and transversely hinged doors having tensional devices which hold them in a closed position and which are adapted to be opened by the car or carriage as it passes downwardly over the track or way.

3. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined track or way and a car or carriage movable by gravity thereon, said track or way being provided with side boards or guards, and the car or carriage being of less transverse dimensions than said track or way, said car or carriage being also mounted on wheels or rollers, and said track or way being provided at intervals with transversely arranged doors having tensional devices by which they are held in a closed position, and said doors being adapted to be opened by the car or carriage as it passes downwardly over the track or way, the car or carriage being also provided with laterally directed wheels or rollers adapted to bear on the side boards or guards of the track or way.

a. In an amusement apparatus, an inclined track or way and a car or carriage adapted to move downwardly thereover by gravity, said track or way being provided at intervals with figures which are normally held in an upright position and are adapted to be depressed by the car or carriage as it passes downwardly over the track or Way, and said track or way being also provided at intervals with transverse doors normally held in a closed position and adapted to be opened by the car or carriage.

In an amusement apparatus, an inclined track or way and a car or carriage adapted to move downwardly thereover by gravity, said track or way being provided at intervals with figures which are normally held in an upright position and are adapted to be depressed by the car or carriage as it passes downwardly over the track or way, and said track or way being also provided at intervals with transverse doors normally held in a closed position and adapted to be opened by the car or carriage, and the bottom of said track or way or a part thereof being also transversely corrugated.

6. In an amusement apparatus, an inclined track or way and a car or carriage adapted to move downwardly thereover by gravity, said track or way being laterally undulated and being provided with trans verse doors which are normally held in a closed position and are adapted to be opened by the car or carriage.

7. In an amusement apparatus, an inclined track or way and a car or carriage adapted to move downwardly thereover by gravity, said track or way being laterally undulated and being provided with transverse doors which are normally held in a closed position and are adapted to be opened by the car or carriage, and said track or way being also provided atintervals with figures which are normally held in a raised position and are adapted to be depressed by the car or carriage as it passes thereover.

8. In an amusement apparatus, an inclined track or way and a car or carriage adapted to be moved downwardly thereover by gravity, said track or way being laterally undulated or curved and being provided at intervals with closed chambers having transverse doors which are adapted to be opened by the car or carriage.

9. In anamusement apparatus, an inclined track or way and a car or carriage adapted to move downwardly thereover by gravity, said track or way being provided with a closed chamber or chambers having hinged doors normally held in a closed position and adapted to be opened by the car or carriage, and said chambers being provided presence of the subscribing Witnesses this With an electric light or lights normally in 10th day of April 1909. an open circuit adapted to be closed by the car or carriage as it passes through said! ARTHUR BRAGG' chamber or chambers. l WVitnesses:

In testnnony that I claim the foregolng as i G. E. 'MULREANY. my lnventlon I have slgned my name m, H. R. CANFIELD. 

